Father or Mother of the House is an unofficial title applied to the longest-serving member of Parliament (MP) sitting in the New Zealand House of Representatives. In New Zealand, no duties or special distinctions are associated with the position. The current Father of the House is Gerry Brownlee, List MP and formerly member for Ilam. He has served continuously in the House of Representatives since 12 October 1996. The current Mother of the House, as the longest continuously serving female MP, is Judith Collins. She was first elected in 2002. [1]
The position is usually determined by continuous service, not aggregate time in parliament or the earliest year of entry. For example, Damien O'Connor has served as long as Brownlee, and entered parliament a term earlier (in 1993), but since he lost his seat in 2008 he is not considered a joint Father of the House. When more than one MP have served equally long periods, the title is usually assigned to whoever was sworn in first, a process which happens alphabetically by surname.
In New Zealand's first general election of 1853, the Bay of Islands electorate was the first to declare the election of a successful candidate, Hugh Carleton, who was returned unopposed. In the subsequent General Assembly of 1854, Carleton liked to be known as the Father of the House. [2]
In March 2005 then Prime Minister Helen Clark became the first to be dubbed Mother of the House. [3]
Key
Independent | Liberal | Reform | United |
Labour | National | Progressive | United Future |
Name | Image | First elected | Became Father/Mother | Left Parliament | Time in Parliament | Time as Father/Mother | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hugh Carleton | 14 July 1853 | 30 December 1870 [nb 1] | 17 years, 5 months and 16 days | Defeated in 1871 election | [2] [4] | ||||
Alfred Brandon | 29 July 1858 | 30 December 1870 | 8 November 1881 [nb 2] | 23 years, 3 months and 10 days | 10 years, 10 months, 10 days | Retired in 1881 | [5] | ||
Sir Maurice O'Rorke | 18 January 1861 | 8 November 1881 | 3 October 1890 [nb 3] | 29 years, 8 months and 15 days | 8 years, 10 months, 26 days | Defeated in 1890 election, re-elected in 1893 | [6] | ||
Harry Atkinson | 3 October 1872 [nb 4] | 3 October 1890 | 22 January 1891 | 18 years, 3 months and 19 days | 3 months, 20 days | Premier 1876–1877, 1883–1884, 1884, 1887–1891; resigned in 1891 [nb 5] | [7] | ||
Ebenezer Hamlin | 18 January 1876 | 22 January 1891 | 8 November 1893 [nb 6] | 17 years, 9 months and 21 days | 2 years, 9 months, 18 days | Retired in 1893 | [8] | ||
Richard Seddon | 5 September 1879 | 8 November 1893 | 10 June 1906 | 26 years, 9 months and 5 days | 12 years, 7 months, 3 days | Prime Minister 1893–1906; died in office | [9] | ||
Sir William Steward | 9 December 1881 [nb 7] | 10 June 1906 | 20 November 1911 [nb 8] | 29 years, 11 months and 11 days | 5 years, 5 months, 11 days | Retired in 1911 | [10] [11] [12] | ||
Sir Arthur Guinness | 22 July 1884 | 20 November 1911 | 10 June 1913 | 28 years, 10 months and 19 days | 1 year, 6 months, 21 days | Died in office | [11] [13] | ||
Sir James Carroll | 7 September 1887 | 10 June 1913 | 27 November 1919 [nb 9] | 32 years, 2 months and 20 days | 6 years, 5 months, 18 days | Defeated in 1919 election | [14] | ||
Sir James Allen | 4 May 1892 [nb 10] | 27 November 1919 | 22 March 1920 | 37 years, 10 months and 18 days | 3 months, 25 days | Resigned in 1920 | [15] | ||
William Massey | 9 April 1894 | 22 March 1920 | 10 May 1925 | 31 years, 1 month and 1 day | 5 years, 1 month, 20 days | Prime Minister 1912–1925; died in office | [16] | ||
Sir Thomas Wilford | 4 December 1896 | 10 May 1925 | 18 November 1929 | 32 years, 11 months and 14 days | 4 years, 6 months, 8 days | Resigned in 1929 [nb 11] | [17] [18] | ||
Sir Āpirana Ngata | 20 December 1905 | 18 November 1929 | 30 August 1943 [nb 12] | 37 years, 8 months and 10 days | 13 years, 9 months, 12 days | Defeated in 1943 election | [19] | ||
Peter Fraser | 3 October 1918 | 30 August 1943 | 12 December 1950 | 32 years, 2 months and 9 days | 7 years, 3 months, 13 days | Prime Minister 1940–1949; died in office | [20] | ||
Bill Parry | 17 December 1919 | 12 December 1950 | 27 July 1951 [nb 13] | 31 years, 7 months and 10 days | 7 months, 16 days | Retired in 1951 | [21] | ||
Robert McKeen | 7 December 1922 | 27 July 1951 | 5 October 1954 [nb 14] | 31 years, 9 months and 28 days | 3 years, 2 months, 8 days | Retired in 1954 | [22] | ||
Rex Mason | 15 April 1926 | 5 October 1954 | 25 October 1966 [nb 15] | 40 years, 6 months and 10 days | 12 years, 20 days | Retired in 1966 | [23] | ||
Sir Walter Nash | 18 December 1929 | 25 October 1966 | 4 June 1968 | 38 years, 7 months and 17 days | 1 year, 7 months, 10 days | Prime Minister 1957–1960; died in office | [24] | ||
Robert Macfarlane | 3 June 1939 | 4 June 1968 | 24 October 1969 [nb 16] | 30 years, 4 months and 21 days | 1 year, 4 months, 20 days | Retired in 1969 | |||
Sir Keith Holyoake | 25 September 1943 [nb 17] | 24 October 1969 | 10 March 1977 | 33 years, 5 months and 13 days | 7 years, 4 months, 14 days | Prime Minister 1957, 1960–1972; resigned in 1977 [nb 18] | [25] | ||
Warren Freer | 24 September 1947 | 10 March 1977 | 29 October 1981 [nb 19] | 34 years, 1 month and 5 days | 4 years, 7 months, 19 days | Retired in 1981 | [26] | ||
Mick Connelly | 27 October 1956 | 29 October 1981 | 14 June 1984 [nb 20] | 27 years, 7 months and 18 days | 2 years, 7 months, 16 days | Retired in 1984 | |||
Sir Robert Muldoon | 26 November 1960 | 14 June 1984 | 17 December 1991 | 31 years and 21 days | 7 years, 6 months, 3 days | Prime Minister 1975–1984; resigned in 1991 | [27] | ||
Jonathan Hunt | 26 November 1966 | 17 December 1991 | 30 March 2005 | 38 years, 4 months and 4 days | 13 years, 4 months, 13 days | Resigned in 2005 [nb 21] | [28] | ||
Helen Clark | 28 November 1981 | 30 March 2005 | 18 April 2009 | 27 years, 4 months and 21 days | 4 years, 19 days | Prime Minister 1999–2008; resigned in 2009 Deemed to hold the post ahead of Michael Cullen due to the alphabetical order in which they were sworn in. | [3] [29] | ||
Michael Cullen | 28 November 1981 | 18 April 2009 | 29 April 2009 | 27 years, 5 months and 1 day | 12 days | Resigned in 2009 | [30] | ||
Jim Anderton | 14 July 1984 | 29 April 2009 | 26 November 2011 | 27 years, 4 months and 12 days | 2 years, 6 months, 3 days | Retired in 2011 Deemed to hold the post ahead of Peter Dunne due to the alphabetical order in which they were sworn in. | [31] | ||
Peter Dunne | 14 July 1984 | 26 November 2011 | 23 September 2017 | 33 years, 2 months and 9 days | 5 years, 9 months, 28 days | Retired at the 2017 election. | [32] [33] [34] | ||
Bill English | 27 October 1990 | 23 September 2017 | 13 March 2018 | 27 years, 4 months and 14 days | 5 months, 18 days | Prime Minister 2016–2017; resigned in 2018 Deemed to be the Father ahead of Nick Smith due to the alphabetical order in which they were sworn in. | |||
Nick Smith | 27 October 1990 | 13 March 2018 | 10 June 2021 [35] | 30 years, 7 months and 14 days | 3 years, 2 months, 28 days | Resigned in 2021 | |||
Trevor Mallard | 6 November 1993 [nb 22] | 10 June 2021 | 20 October 2022 | 28 years, 11 months and 14 days | 1 year, 4 months and 11 days | Resigned in 2022 | [36] [37] | ||
Nanaia Mahuta [nb 23] | 12 October 1996 | 21 October 2022 | 14 October 2023 | 26 years, 11 months and 23 days | 11 months and 24 days | Defeated in the 2023 election | [1] | ||
Gerry Brownlee [nb 23] | 12 October 1996 | present | 27 years, 8 months and 16 days | 1 year, 8 months and 16 days | |||||
Judith Collins [nb 24] | 27 July 2002 | 14 October 2023 | 21 years, 11 months and 10 days | 8 months and 23 days | [1] | ||||
Table footnotes: [38]
Smith will quit politics on June 10 after announcing his resignation yesterday
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, was a New Zealand politician who served as the 26th prime minister of New Zealand, serving for a brief period in 1957 and then from 1960 to 1972, and also as the 13th governor-general of New Zealand, serving from 1977 to 1980. He is the only New Zealand politician to have held both positions.
Hugh Francis Carleton was New Zealand's first member of parliament.
The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 28th term. It saw the governing Labour Party re-elected, but by a substantially narrower margin than in the three previous elections. The National Party continued its gradual rise.
The 1957 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 32nd term. It saw the governing National Party narrowly defeated by the Labour Party. The 1957 elections marked the beginning of the second Labour government, although this administration was to last only a single term.
Wairarapa is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first created in 1858 and existed until 1881. It was recreated in 1887 and has since existed continuously. The current Wairarapa electorate MP is Mike Butterick.
Bay of Islands is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed during various periods between 1853 and 1993. It was thus one of the original 24 electoral districts, and New Zealand's first ever MP was elected, although unopposed, in the Bay of Islands; Hugh Carleton thus liked to be called the Father of the House.
Pahiatua is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the Wairarapa region. It existed from 1896 to 1996, and was represented by nine Members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Keith Holyoake for 34 years.
Motueka and Massacre Bay was one of the original parliamentary electorates created for the 1st New Zealand Parliament. It existed from 1853 to 1860 and was represented by three Members of Parliament. In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the area was split in half, and the Motueka and Collingwood electorates were created from it.
Motueka is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first created in 1860 and existed until the 1890 election, when it was abolished. For the 1896 election the Motueka electorate was recreated, and lasted until the 1946 election, when it was again abolished.
Dunedin Country was a parliamentary electorate in the rural area surrounding the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, from 1853 to 1860. It was a two-member electorate and was represented by a total of five members of parliament.
The 31st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1954 general election on 13 November of that year.
The 32nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1957 general election on 30 November of that year.
The 33rd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1960 general election on 26 November of that year.
The 34th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1963 general election on 30 November of that year.
The 35th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1966 general election on 26 November of that year.
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The Dunedin Country by-election 1858 was a by-election held in the multi-member Dunedin Country electorate during the 2nd New Zealand Parliament, on 16 June 1858. The by-election was caused by the resignation of incumbent MP John Cargill and was won by John Taylor.
The Dunedin Country by-election 1860 was a by-election held in the multi-member Dunedin Country electorate during the 2nd New Zealand Parliament. The by-election was caused by the resignation of incumbent MP William Cargill. The nomination meeting was held on 28 March and as Thomas Gillies was the only person proposed, he was declared elected unopposed.